Description- This workshop conducted at the L&S Summer Forum June 2013, considered the characteristics of highly aligned L&D departments as defined by the new Towards Maturity In-Focus report Aligning Learning to Business (download at www.towardsmaturity.org/in-focus2013/alignment ). It contains practical lessons learned and hints and tips from the 60 participating delegates. The workshop also introduce the new Towards Maturity Alignment Index to help L&D functions benchmark against each other to improve alignment and business results. Find out your Alignment Index and much more by taking part in the Towards Maturity Benchmark at www.towardsmaturity.org/benchmarking

1. 7 habits of highly aligned L&D
teams
14th June 2013
@lauraoverton
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#bethebest13
Crowdsourcing workshop held with 100 participants at
Learning and Skills Summer Forum June 2013

2. Agility
How do we bring speed to change?
Business Learning

3. Benchmarking
In-formal
Formal
Key performance indicators
Good practice benchmarks

4. Formal Benchmarking
http://www.towardsmaturity.org/static/growing-maturity/
Alignment underpins this model
Mature learning organisations are shaped by business need,- they understand it, design
solutions to meet it and ensure they are influencing it

5. 1 100
Top QuartileBottom Quartile 3rd 2nd
In 2012, those in the top quartile were:
7x more likely to report:
Improved staff motivation and employee engagement
Improved talent/performance management
Increased ability to tailor programme to need
Staff able to apply learning faster
Improvements in productivity
3x more likely to report:
Improved ability to prove compliance
Improved induction processes
Reduction in time away from Job and training costs
TMI

6. A 2 way street!
• Alignment is not a one
way street. It’s not just
about making sure that
you have all your ducks
in a row; it’s also about
making sure your
business and customers
recognise this fact and
recognise that you have
real value to offer; it’s
about seeing eye to eye.

7. How would you describe your
current relationship with your
business stakeholders?
1 2 3
12%
7%
81%
1. Excellent – they love
us
2. Average – they
know about us
3. Poor- we’re just a
line on a budget
sheet
Data from participants at L&S Summer Forum (n=60)

8. 7 habits of
highly aligned
L&D functions
www.towardsmaturity.org/in-focus2013/alignment

9. Actively involve Business Leaders in Learning
Decisions
Agree measures of
success first with your
stakeholders before
adopting or designing
any training
Governance
Business KPI’s
Training Decisions

10. We analyse the business
problem before recommending a
solution
1 2 3
47%
11%
42%1. Always
2. Only if we have the
time
3. Rarely – our
business knows
what it wants & tells
us
Data from participants at L&S Summer Forum (n=60)

11. Use strategic business objectives to determine
learning Priorities
Too many L&D
organisations get caught
up in fads – for me it is
about understanding the
business drivers
Supporting the
skills the business
needs
Not just order
takers
Able to respond to
change

12. Focus on the end results
Core purpose of our L&D
function is the core
purpose of the business –
we share the same goals
and vision
All L&D are clear
about business
goals
Support learning
transfer
Un-afraid to
measure

13. Talent is a strategic priority for many
to what extent to do you work in collaboration with HR colleagues
responsible for talent?
1 2 3
37%
33%
30%
1. We work together to
address critical talent
needs.
2. We rarely speak to talent
team and work in silos
3. Talent? What talent
strategy?
Data from participants at L&S Summer Forum (n=60)

14. of us are seeking to improve talent and
performance management
Only are achieving this
Recruitment Performance
Succession
planning

15. Report against
targets
Value recognised
Review
programmes
against goals
We have to be brave,
we have to be
courageous

16. Ensure staff understand their
contribution
Staff are clear
about how their
learning and work
is linked to bigger
picture
Objectives are
discussed
How is this relevant to
me?

17. We enjoy real commitment from
our leadership teams
1 2 3
13% 13%
74%
1. Always
2. Only on top priority
projects
3. Rarely
Data from participants at L&S Summer Forum (n=60)

18. Enjoy proactive management
Commitment
3 factors underpin strong business
performance .An engaged
workforce, the ability to
implement continual
change, nurturing the next
generation of talent
Success will also be
underpinned by a forward
thinking L&D function able to
work alongside us as business
leaders as an integral partner
in supporting change
Quote from C level
business executive

19. 7 habits
• Involve business leaders in
learning decisions
• Use business objectives to set
learning priorities
• Focus on the end results
• Integrate with Talent
• Demonstrate Value
• Ensure staff know where they fit
• Enjoy management commitment

20. Alignment is it worth the effort?
New
Alignment
Index

21. New
Alignment
Index
Implement new processes/products faster
Increase productivity
Improve customer satisfaction
Implement new IT systems
Support organisational change
Provide a faster response to change
Speed up and improve the application
Comply better compliance
Reduce time to competence
Improve talent/performance management
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Bottom Q 3rd Q 2nd Q Top Q
Numberofbenefitsreported
Alignment Index
The bottom line

22. New
Alignment
Index
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
AlignmentIndex
An e-enabled
learning culture
And fewer barriers to change

23. What is your biggest challenge?
1 2 3 4 5
20%
5%
20%
11%
45%1. Leaders are not involved in
learning decisions
2. Our L&D team doesn’t
understand business
priorities /focus on end
results
3. We struggle to
demonstrate value
4. Our learning and talent
strategy is out of sync
5. Staff don’t understand
how their learning
contributes to business
successData from participants at L&S Summer Forum (n=60), items in green were then addressed by
the group in a crowdsourcing exercise

24. Our focus for the rest of this
session:
How can we better demonstrate the
value of our learning offering to those
that matter?
How can we help staff be clearer
about how their learning supports
organisational success?

25. Over to you
Find someone you don’t know on
your table
Each of you will interview your
colleague for 3 minutes
Your colleagues provides the
answers and you write them down
You then consolidate the answers in
your group and feedback
Decide:
who is number 1
who is number 2

26. Compare and consolidate your
findings
All participants asking the same question gather together to consolidate answers

27. Lessons learned Hints and tips
Question:
Summarise the main findings of your table’s interviews & be prepared to report back briefly on the top 2 findings from your table. Please
hand in this to Laura at the end so that we can consolidate all the ideas.
Consolidate your ideas
Record them on your feedback form –
legibly please
Be prepared to share the top idea from
the table

28. Feedback
Bringing speed to change!

29. Lessons learned Hints and tips
Be Brave – voice L&D’s position & potential in a clearer way Interpret data smartly ( both internal and external) to engage
business on their terms
Example of analysing where the business is going and
proposed to shut down L&D - But business didn't want
to do this But up for focusing on what was really
essential
Define from the outset what measurements are meaningful
to business
Need to ask the questions – what does good look like? Who is
your audience? What value can you bring to them? WIIFM
Consider joining up with global HR environment & aligning
with talent goals and how they are measured
Link L&D to specific improvements in competence
Demonstrate that you can move to the right solution with
speed
Use less time and more speed as measures that are
meaningful to business
Be vigorous in evaluation – don’t leave it to chance Show evaluation of results linked to business need (not take-
up or completion rates)
Senior leaders need to understand the true value of what
L&D can do in order for L&D to demonstrate value to the
organisation
Define value with business partners not apart
Become better L&D Business partners
Consider better stakeholder engagement
How can we better demonstrate the value of our
learning offering to those that matter?

30. Lessons learned Hints and tips
Align individual and organisational perceptions of
benefits
Don't assume staff know where they fit in the bigger picture
Focus them on their role within in
Can become too blue sky
Consider how you communicate clearly the strategies and
values with Front line staff
WIIFM, Market to them, making your job easier,, articulate
the benefits
Demonstrate usefulness in terms of making life easier
Don’t just regurgitate brand messages
Managers play an important role in communicating and
making learning relevant
Leaders to articulate how learning helped them to do things
better
Ensure on the job learning is integrated with talent and
succession planning and directly linked to role
Map and clarify the baseline of competency and then top up
with added value L&D interventions
Integrate L&D plans into the performance process
Focus on the customer – put them at the heart of what is
needed
Adapt core learning to regional and individual needs with
specific learning objectives
Help staff apply learning/aid transfer of learning back at
work
Mentoring, peer to peer support
How can we help staff be clearer about how their learning supports organisational
success?

31. WHAT’S NEXT
Benchmarking to find out your Alignment Index

32. Benchmarking!
Free thanks to Towards Maturity Ambassadors
Why are some more successful than others?

33. Personalised feedback
Performance benchmarks
Take up Benchmarks
Open up new
discussions with
stakeholders

34. Good practice Benchmarks
Performance benchmarks Performance Dashboard
Fast track to success!

35. Stop, reflect,
change
#bethebest13
Be the best you
can be

36. 36
36
lauraoverton #bethebest13
Be the Best!
• Benchmark today –
www.towardsmaturity.org/
mybenchmark
• Find out about our Sector
Benchmarking Activity
– Finance
– Retail
– Professional Services
– Charity (with CLC)
– Specific Sector reports
www.towardsmaturity.org/shop
www.towardsmaturity.org/in-focus2013/alignment